<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">Laura,</FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000"><BR></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">I think your ideas are swell and will enhance the experiences of everyone in our small tango universe. Many of us travel far and wide to find new and challenging tango experiences. The fact that we have many world class tango instructors visit us in SLO is a rare pleasure. Adding opportunities to have more focused small group sessions with these instructors, in addition to the normal larger group lessons, provides a new avenue for those who want more of a challenge.</FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000"><BR></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">Asking veteran "tango heads" to mentor newer dancers by attending beginning workshops is an unquestionably great idea. It will increase the confidence of beginning dancers and give them a chance to get to know more experienced dancers. I know from my experience that it is a great help to learn the steps by practicing with someone who is experienced rather than only with someone who is also just learning. I think this can also be a great way to balance out the man/woman ratio so that it is more enjoyable for everyone and no one is left out.</FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000"><BR></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">I'm definitely for more Milongas!</FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000"><BR></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">I re-read your email and tried to understand how it might be construed to suggest creating stratification or some sort of hierarchy in the group as suggested by Tom Harrington. I can only see opportunities for individuals of all levels to benefit and add to our vital community spirit. We have a wide range of "levels" from beginners to very experienced dancers. I think one of the great strengths of our group is that everyone at all levels enjoys tango without judgement or consideration of experience level.</FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000"><BR></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">Virtually all instruction is organized in some form of progressive levels. Tango is no different and everyone will progress through the levels at their own pace depending on commitment, ability and resources. Common sense and courtesy should apply when selecting a workshop to provide a balance between personal challenge and enhancing the experience of the others in the workshop.</FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000"><BR></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">Asking experienced dancers to volunteer at beginning workshops is also a great way to bring the group together. One of the difficulties with any workshop is the usual imbalance of partners. I'm sure we have all experienced occasions where a workshop was overloaded with women (apparently more common) or men and found ourselves sitting out often, struggling with the steps and feeling that we were getting short changed for the cost of the workshop. If experienced volunteers could be recruited it would be a great way to even out the partner ratio and make a much richer experience for everyone.</FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000"><BR></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">Tom, with all due respect to your desire to hold on to the precious community spirit we have, I think you may have overreacted a bit. I want to keep our happy tango universe as one, too, but I don't perceive any threat in Laura's great suggestions. And I really appreciate her effort to help organize more great workshops. Thanks Laura.</FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000"><BR></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000"><BR></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">Tom Troxel </FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV></BODY></HTML>